Don't forget chaps... check down below occasionally

Hades you really are inspirational :cool:

I'm 18 in two weeks and yet I know I'm still at risk, nobody is to young or to old for it.
 
Thanks all.

fatiain said:
Hades, quite a read.

Kudos to you for sharing. And extra props for volunteering for trials!

If it's not too much of a personal question, have you had a prosthesis?

If I ever had to go through what you had (God forbid), I think I'd need a replacement.
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No I didn't have a prosthesis. I was offered one but chose not to. I did think about it, but with silicone implants now rumoured to cause health issues in women I thought there was not enough of a reason to put something in my body that wasn't needed. I am married anyway and if I were ever to find myself single in the future then a lady would have to accept me as I am. If a woman can't do that then she's not the right woman. I am who I am and an extra piece of plastic or silicone or whatever won't change that.

However the one reason I would consider it is that being slightly "lop sided" down there is a little less comfortable and I find that I have to adjust myself occasionally. In hindsight I probably would have a replacement for that reason alone. Also if I was younger and single then I can see why it would be of benefit.
 
A quick update...

I've just realised that last Friday was my 6th anniversary of finding the lump. Time has flown so fast. I'm now down to annual checks but still being monitored because of the study I volunteered for. Everything is clear so far and, given my low risk, it's never occurred to me that it wouldn't be. It's odd looking back over the years how that one moment changed my outlook on life, mostly for the positive. I can still remember that day vividly. In that time I've seen several forum members die from cancer and while I can't really know what they were going through I'm very grateful I was able to beat it.

One challenge I think I have to face in the next year or two is telling my children. Back in 2011 my consultant advised me to tell my son before he was a teenager (he's now 11). He is statistically higher to have the same issue in the future because I had it. So it's only right I tell him before he reaches an age where he's at risk and can check himself regularly.

I put on testosterone gel each morning and they think nothing much of it as I've always said it's just medicine to stop me feeling tired (which is also true). But they've rarely questioned it much further as it's just normal to them now. I'm not sure why, but having not told them before, I now feel slightly uncomfortable telling them. I didn't say anything before, and hid it from them when they were too young to understand. But in the next year or two I have to tell them.

Six years ago I was looking forward to telling them because it meant I had beaten it. But now I don't want to and I'm not really sure why. It feels like something they don't need to know (but I know it is).
 
Thanks for asking :)

My health is absolutely fine. I am still having annual checkups (xrays and blood tests) and will be having them in a couple of months. I am still putting the gel on each morning but I haven't yet got around to telling my kids about it. Sadly my mum now has cancer and I have to break the news to them at some point that she won't be around for ever. So perhaps now isn't the time to tell them about my history as it will just worry them.

But in terms of recovery from it, I'm absolutely fine. So if anyone else gets diagnosed with similar then there really isn't too much to worry about as long as you seek help for it immediately :)
 
Another update. Today I had my annual follow up with the Marsden. They gave me the all clear again. Because it is now almost 10 years they have fully discharged me. I will no longer need a yearly checkup (I do still have yearly blood checks for prostate cancer due to taking testosterone gel for life).

So I can now say I survived it :)

Sadly I lost my mum to cancer in 2019 so I can't tell her the good news. But today is a good day.
 
Souness said:
Wow, private health rocks. If that was on the NHS I hate to think how long you'd be waiting. I'm kind of paranoid about getting cancer, for that reason.
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Must say when I've had problems, I've been so grateful to have PMI.

I had a large (non-cancerous) tumour in my neck checked, biopsied, diagnosed and removed within 2 weeks a few years back. If I'd had to wait longer on NHS the chances are I might have had irreversible nerve damage.

Another interesting thing I noticed from all the claims being settled that I've seen is that if you really wanted to go down the paying for yourself route for pretty routine treatment, it's not totally unaffordable in the UK for someone on a reasonable wage or with a modest emergency fund. You'd be stuffed in the USA.

EDIT: LOL just saw dates on posts. Necro!
 
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Hades said:
Another update. Today I had my annual follow up with the Marsden. They gave me the all clear again. Because it is now almost 10 years they have fully discharged me. I will no longer need a yearly checkup (I do still have yearly blood checks for prostate cancer due to taking testosterone gel for life).

So I can now say I survived it :)

Sadly I lost my mum to cancer in 2019 so I can't tell her the good news. But today is a good day.
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Ive never come across this thread before, but it’s a perfect example of why I love forums.


I’m really sorry about both parents - I’m sure they’d be over the moon for you.


Thanks for taking the time to post, and also for being so open about everything.

I wish you and your family all the best in the coming years :)
 
Congrats on the all clear @Hades. I posted here nearly 10 years ago saying i hadnt checked myself for ages and since then i check 1-2 times a month. Since then my father and uncle have both been diagnosed, treated and confirmed all clear of prostate cancer so this is something im wary of now as running in the family.

Awareness is vital for testicular and prostate cancer and unfortunately they often take a backseat to more well known or agressive cancers. Dont forget to check/get checked out lads
 
Put your hands down your pants and I bet you'll feel nuts... And hopefully nothing else... just checked myself thanks to this thread.

Congrats on your journey Hades, thanks for sharing your journey. Sorry to hear about your mum, lost my dad 5 years ago today (cancer). It really is a horrible infliction but hopefully more people can avoid with awareness and a bit of humility.
 
Sorry for the bump but I wanted to say thank you to @Hades - this thread made me check myself and long story short I am booked in for a orchidectomy in a week or so. Check yourselves guys (and girls, check you guys), much better to find it early
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Sorry for the bump but I wanted to say thank you to @Hades - this thread made me check myself and long story short I am booked in for a orchidectomy in a week or so. Check yourselves guys (and girls, check you guys), much better to find it early
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Glad you found it. Shame about needing the op though :(

@Hades potentially a life saved, not something many can say.
 
Sorry for the hijack @Hades but any of you gents go to get your prostate checked? Why did you go and what was it like? Not looking medical advice but something I've been thinking about.
 
subbytna said:
Sorry for the hijack @Hades but any of you gents go to get your prostate checked? Why did you go and what was it like? Not looking medical advice but something I've been thinking about.
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Had it done as part of an investigation. No drama - finger up the backside and a bit of poking around. It is worth having it checked.

It’s the cystoscopy that you need to worry about :o
 
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